Federal complaint against Compton school

January 18, 2011 12:00:00 AM PST

COMPTON, Calif. --

Two parents have filed complaints with the federal Department of Education, claiming teachers at a Compton elementary school are retaliating against their children.Marlene Romero and Herbert Hidalgo are activists in the parent trigger movement to get McKinley Elementary School turned over to a charter operator.

The drive comes under a state law that allows a majority of parents at a failing school to force it to make major changes.

Romero and Hidalgo claim their children's' teachers harassed the youngsters about their parents' activities.

However, the district issued a statement, saying "We have zero tolerance for harassment. We take all allegations of harassment seriously, particularly if those allegations involve a staff person or teacher employed by our district."